Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy Early Boxing Day!
Had the Trailer chapter (Chapter One) not been uploaded, this is a reference, blatant one at that, to the series that got me (Horus) into writing. the temptation to do this reference was overpowering, so I do not fault you for being upset.
Hello! We, the co-authors and I, are not dead but we have been busy making future chapters. Like really far along the story future chapters. They are currently equal (in word count) to the story's current length, so there's that.
Also, we all had a hand in this one, and this was 8.6k words. Part II is estimated to be the same length. So big chapters coming from us.
Hope you enjoy our version of initiation. There are small liberties taken here, as a forewarning.
...
All four of them were refreshed for the next day—more like the ass crack of dawn—and they had showered, and gotten dressed in some privacy. Although other girls got a good look at Ray's bare chest, he only looked back to Grace and Tera, 'I know I should be flattered, but this is honestly kind of unnerving.' He had everything on that was below the belt, but he didn't particularly care walking out half-dressed in the public locker room. Nick had followed him out, already dressed for the most part.
Some comments were thrown, but Nick ignored them, he's heard the worst of the worst, so these are literal child's play. What these people don't realize is that he could be the one saving them someday.
'You are saying that but even I have to admit, you do fill out nicely,' Grace signed with a lopsided smile.
Ray had the decency to blush at the flirt, knowing Grace didn't have any implications towards him. She was merely observing, 'Yeah, but that does not mean I like to be stared at like this.' Ray signed, before putting on a faded sunray-colored shirt along with his sleeveless vest. He loaded up on ammo, stuffing it into every pouch. He even checked the pistols and loaded them. Fury's Ambush was ready.
Grace finally got to unveil Deliverance from its case, the crossbow-rifle hybrid she finely tuned for today. Once she showered, she put on her combat outfit. A tank top and a thin jacket—one she wouldn't miss if it got destroyed—and form-fitting sweatpants that held her ammo, her quiver rested on her back, arrows peeking over her right shoulder. She slid on Precursor's Reach and put on her ankle booties. She was ready, but the shake of her hand said otherwise. The nerves were getting to her, both the good and the bad.
Ray noticed this and grabbed her hand and put it to his heart. His message was clear, focus on my heartbeat. Grace noticed he was calm, even his eyes said so. "Okay, sorry, it's just-"
'I understand. I am more worried for Ruby than anyone else,' he signed with a sheepish expression. 'I am just better at hiding it.'
Nick donned his normal outfit, no surprise, but added some pockets to hold his ammo. He swapped out his shoes for boots because of the mud that he might encounter. If the Patch forests had mud in them, then he can expect the Emerald Forest to be a swamp. Leech Cyclone rested on his wrists. "Don't worry Gracie, we're going to kill it today. We'll all be together no matter what. Based on a hunch, they will organize us alphabetically and launch us off."
"That does not inspire confidence in me," Tera quipped, having put on some baggy cargo pants, and a t-shirt that exposed her midriff. Her shirt was a warm orange color, subtly matching her eyes. Her red flat tops were replaced with a pair of boots. The only who will struggle today with mud will be Grace.
"Come on, Ter, don't be sssuch a downer," Nick groaned before checking himself over once more before checking to make sure that his friends had everything they needed.
"Would all first-year students in the first group please report to the east side of the grounds for initiation? Repeat: All first-year students in the first group please report to the east side of the grounds for initiation."
"That's our cue, let's rock it!" Nick said enthusiastically.
Off to the side, and out of the other's line of sight, Beowulf lets out a wolfish yawn and adjusts his quiver, the morning was always dangerous for him. But this time was strange, he woke up before the sun and his first instinct was to grab his claymore and get ready for a fight, only there was no one near him. Then, as he breaks out to go hunt breakfast Ozpin is standing right outside that window as if he knew which one he had broken out of the night before. Of course, Beowulf figured that Oz had people watching the building, but that was beside the point, the professor wanted to speak with him to tell the hybrid that if he slips up during the initiation and kills a 'fellow' student he'll be fine for today. Professor Goodwitch told him which pad to stand on and to await the rest of the group to arrive. As he walks to the B's both Beo and Wulf internally breathe a sigh of relief, they would be able to hunt naturally and if they snapped and kill someone, no one would ask any questions.
The walk was quiet for the four students, as was the weather, a light breeze swept through Beacon's grounds. Each one of them was thinking about what they had to do today, what they had to do to survive. They heard that initiation was a literal fight for your life. Tai had mentioned it a few times, but now they were literally about to experience it.
When they arrived at the east side of the grounds, they saw numerous pads with Beacon's insignia on it. The view was currently looking over the Emerald Forest, or what was soon to be their battleground. The sun was barely rising over the horizon at this point, making the sky bright orange, and presumably, in twenty or so minutes, the sun would be high enough to clear everyone's visibility for the most part. Being this high up makes the fog that currently lingered that much more bothersome.
"Welcome," Professor Ozpin said, not at all perturbed about sending a bunch of children to their potential deaths, "please stand on each pad in alphabetical order to the best of your abilities, we have two other groups that need to go through initiation. Last names starting with 'A' please stand over to your left and last names starting with 'Z' stand over to your right." Each pad was around two and a half feet all around, making a square. The indentations in the ground meant that these were recently installed, but the fact that really drew everyone's eyes was the fact of how old they looked.
Grace went one way towards the B's, while Nick, Tera, and Ray went another, towards the O's and R's. Based on a guess, and a little direction from Professor Goodwitch, Ray and Nick were next to each other while Tera was a bit further down to their right. Grace was close to the front, next to a girl in a bow which she believed her name was Blake if Nick told her correctly.
Instead of making conversation, Grace decided to take deep breaths to relax before clenching her hands. Ozpin's voice carried out that of a loudspeaker so that everyone can hear them, "For years, you have trained to become warriors, and today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest."
Glynda took over, "All of you will be launched at once, and none of the pads will make you collide with another student, but they vary in strength in order to not pair you up with the person to your immediate left or right. Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of 'teams.' Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates... today." Glynda delivered this without mercy, and the two boys looked at each with raised eyebrows, knowing they were going to prove one of her statements false, kind of.
Ozpin took over once more, something that might happen a lot today, "These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well."
That brightened up Ray, Nick, and Tera, but that made Grace worry immensely. She wanted to be on a team with one of her friends, or at least partners. She was far away and if they are all launched at once, then that means the chances of finding someone else were extremely and dangerously high. All the while, the wind started to pick up. One was figiditing, another was looking around, and another was much more collected than they should be. One thing that Grace took notice of was that there were a lot of pads. She later found out that there were 124 pads littered across this stretch of land. They all seemed so compact, but when filled up with students, it was even more so. Adding to the fact that you could see Beacon move ever-so-slightly if one focused hard enough into the Forest.
The visibility was certainly getting better than it was in the previous minutes. The only ones who didn't notice were any of the Faunus currently present. Humans were a little disoriented; they were not getting yeeted into the forest with no visual aids.
"That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years." Wow, way to crush people's hopes and dreams there, Ozpin. "After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path... or you will die." That sent a shiver up each and everyone's spines, except Beowulf who was standing there with an indifferent yet excited expression.
"Right now, team CFVY is handing out flares and a flare gun. Orange will be the color of the flares to distinguish between it and the forest. The reason being is if you come across the corpse of one of your classmates, you are to shoot up a flare to allow us to mark the location. You will be given five flares each," Glynda said, not noticing the looks of horror on everyone's faces. "You can take flares from the bodies, in case, but do not use them willy nilly, or there will be consequences, am I clear?" The dominatrix was showing and made a few children flinch.
The teammates of CFVY, which no one got a long look at, had just finished handing out the flares and subsequently, the students strapped them to their persons. With a nod to Ozpin, he continued, "You will be monitored and graded through the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the northern portion of the forest containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to a specified drop zone at the southern end of the Forest. From there, a dropship will arrive and transport you back to Beacon. We will regard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?"
A blonde boy to Grace's left asked, "So how are we getting down there safely? Did you hand out parachutes or something?"
"No, you will be falling and you must use your own landing strategy," Ozpin said, taking a sip of his mug.
Grace spoke, desperately trying to keep the small shake out of her voice, "I'd be more worried about getting down before you ask another question." At that moment, she heard her platform click. She flinched but braced herself.
Nick heard his and Ray's platforms click into place. The view was beautiful, seeing the tops of the Emerald forest. The forest looked quite peaceful from up here, and the current view made it look even more so, but everyone present knew that danger lurked within. The slight fog that littered the treetops made the eeriness feel much more palpable. They shared a look and nodded, hoping it would go to plan. The four of them will be together as a team. They've already learned each other styles and move sets, and they learned a lot in the off-time from their Signal graduation. So, it would be horrible if they did not get teamed together.
Still, the thought was finally settling on all of the students present, they were about to be launched into a Grimm-infested forest with no backup other than themselves. The moment would be preserved into history in their minds, everyone realized that this was the first step towards their ultimate goal.
One second more, no one moved, it was dead silent, save for the wind, "Good luck, all of you," Ozpin said. Glynda had pressed a button on her tablet in front of her. Other students flinched. Another second, silence reigned supreme.
The next second, the first students were flying through the air. Beacon's annual initiation had begun.
Four students walked up behind Ozpin and Goodwitch. The last students of this batch were just launched into the forest. Now it came down to the true test of survival.
"So how many of them do you think will survive?" A Fox Faunus asked. Initiation was always a gruesome day for her, knowing that some of the students launched will not be coming back.
"Probably five or six teams at least in this batch of students," The tallest boy said with a slight chuckle in his voice. He seemed to be the one who had a more… carefree attitude.
"How many students this year?" The Fox asked.
"437," Professor Goodwitch stated. "Definitely odd, no pun intended."
The other male looked at both of them then looked back at Ozpin. "You called for us Ozpin?" One of them asked.
Ozpin turned to the team. "Team PLTN, I would like you to recover any and all the bodies of any students that are killed during this trial. Team CFVY will also assist, along with a lot of the upperclassmen, the ones who can stomach it, anyway."
"What if there isn't anything left or if it's extremely messy?" The leader asked.
"Then notify one of the staff with a red flare and they will take care of it," Ozpin rescinded immediately, admittedly distracted. He was curious about two specific students in general. One felt different than the other, but that would be a question for another time.
"Understood, Professor."
It was quiet until it looked like one of the students was coming back to the launch site…This is certainly interesting, Ozpin thought to himself.
People flew off the pads with screams, laughs, silence, and a howl. Some were excited, others terrified about being flung into a forest full of carnivorous Grimm that don't give a shit who you are. They just want to kill.
Once the platforms locked, Nick and Ray shared one final look before the sounds of screams could be heard. Hopefully, they were out of surprise and not fear. One second, Nick launched slightly to the left, the next second, Ray launched slightly to the right. It could have been worse, they could have been launched in the completely opposite direction at a wider birth. Ray used his semblance to appear close to Nick, shifting his momentum to match the Faunus.
The feeling of being airborne was one that can be repeated as many times as one desired and it would still never get old. That was how the four of them felt, free, and eager to prove they have what it takes.
Without making eye contact, Ray and Nick grabbed one another's hands, twisted one-eighty, lined up their feet, and springboarded away from each other with all the force they could muster. That all took place within two seconds, and since they never looked at each other in the eye, they were not partners. Never was it defined when the partner rule took effect, sure "the first person you make eye contact with" is what he said, but it was either as soon as you launched or as soon as you hit the ground; even if Professor Ozpin said it was when they landed, the boys didn't want to take the chance. Upon them springboarding away from each other, Nick said to himself, "I cannot believe that actually worked!"
Once that happened, Nick turned and spotted Tera flying through the air. His eyes followed where she was going to land and while he couldn't control gravity, he could use something else. Unfolding Leech Cyclone, he fired them both off in the air to persuade his momentum towards the Mistralian's location. He managed to get one glimpse at Tera to make eye contact. He brought the claws back to him before turning and using his semblance to 'slow' his descent and swung off a tree. The landing was smooth, save for the mud he slid on, to which he dusted himself off with a grin. Now to find Tera.
Tera, whilst flying through the air, had glanced over her shoulder to see the maneuver and raised her eyebrows in surprise before Nick made eye contact with her before she disappeared into the trees. Priming her aura, she looped around the first tree branch that she could reach. The tree she affected reacted immediately and provided a pseudo-ramp for her to slide down and leap off of when she was close to the ground. Landing with a roll, she stood up and beckoned the tree she affected to put her higher in the branches. They did so without complaint. You are so in for it, Nick.
Grace repeated the plan over and over in her mind, even using Truesight to check for any lingering Grimm. The ground was up and coming, but the dense forest provided one thing: Natural Parkour. The slate-haired girl grinned as her feet tapped off one tree, then the next, and the next until she landed on the ground. Once she did that, she found a tall tree, climbed it avoiding some mud piles that were littered about, and sat in the branches. She closed her eyes and allowed her mind to drift. And now we play the waiting game, Ray.
Ray, however, went backward as a result of his and Nick's maneuver. That was the plan, after all, the goal was to push Ray over to where the 'A's were and then use the launchpad to send him towards Grace. Before Ray hit the Academy's side, he teleported just above the ground as his feet slid across the ground. The grass did not survive, a shame, really. Not minding the dirt on his pants, he stood up from his slide, dusted his hands off, and turned to look at the spectators. Casually waving as he dashed past them, stopping on what looked to be the oldest looking launchpad. With a glance out into the forest—kneeling down—he looked for Grace's aura.
The four of them had a plan, they were to pulse their aura subtly, at least enough to notice each other. Next, was to close your eyes and calm your mind. You can't be partnered if you never make eye contact with another. There you are. Ray's eyes opened as he felt Grace's aura, and he picked the precise launchpad that Grace had been flung off of. She left an aura trail, easy enough for anyone with eyes to follow. The joys of reading up on tracking techniques.
He looked over to Professor Ozpin, shot him a cheeky grin before standing up and stomping on the pad. 'No rules were given on this, Professor. Nothing against me doing a hard-reset.' With that stomp, the pad was primed once more, the click signifying that he was bound to be airborne in just a few short moments. Tai told him a secret about these pads since they looked to be the same when he was there, "Stomp on them to prime them again, if they haven't changed them in the past few years, then it should work."
"Interesting," Ozpin said, slightly surprised, but kept under an impassive mask. "I do hope you know what you are doing."
'Of course, I am. You really thought I was going to be separated from my friends because of the alphabet? Respectfully, fat chance, Professor,' Ray signed with nonchalance.
With a grin and two-fingered salute to the spectators, he was off once more, towards his future partner. The six people that remained all had different expressions. One was in shock, one was impressed, one was indifferent, and one just didn't care. Surely, the difference could be made, but their personalities reflected their faces perfectly. The Professors, on the other hand, were having a very different conversation. "Is that even allowed?"
"It's true that I never said anything against it. I only told them to do whatever it takes to survive. However, I did not expect that turn of events," Ozpin took a sip of his mug. A moment of silence before he spoke again, this time with affirmation in his tone, "His Semblance matches."
"Indeed it does, and to make matters interesting, those two students did not make eye contact while conducting that display of acrobatics. So, they are not partners," Professor Goodwitch said. Her tone betrayed nothing, but the Headmistress certainly approved of the strategy. However, it must have been the simple factor of luck. "They have not been heard from in…"
Ozpin side-eyed the team next to him, cutting the Assistant Headmistress off, "Team PLTN, your thoughts on what just transpired?" It was always good to get a second opinion on the matter.
The leader stepped forward and stood next to Ozpin, "Judging on what we just witnessed my best guess is those two are probably trying to form partnerships with two others; although, I can't determine who those might be." He said as he looked at Ozpin with his arms crossed.
A nod, "You would be correct in your assumption. The four you are referring to are the top four students of the most recent graduating class of Signal Academy." Ozpin looked at the leader, "Their transcripts were near perfect, above-average combat records, and higher survival ratings than the rest of the current class applying, save for a few exceptions. Them living with a former student of mine, one of the greatest teams to graduate from my academy, mind you. Furthermore, I cannot compare them to you four as you are in different leagues."
"You were already hoping this would happen." Professor Goodwitch said this as a statement, not as a question.
"As I said to both of them when we met, I saw potential in him," Ozpin replied, glancing back at Glynda. "Now we simply let the pieces fall where they may."
The young leader looked at Ozpin then back at his shortest teammate. "If you don't mind me asking Professor, were their transcripts as high as my teammates?"
"Different leagues, Mr. Odesin. While they have not experienced what you four have, they certainly fare better than some of the applicants this year." Another sip of his mug. "Glynda? Bring up Miss Rowe's file."
The name resonated with all of PLTN, "Wait, they had a daughter?" The Faunus girl said as her ear perked up at the news, tail at attention.
"Yes, they had a daughter, one they hid from the world. Miss Schnee had met her once at least according to her elder sister. When she came to Vale with Miss Briggs' family, her biological family had killed her, saying it was poison," Glynda said with well-hidden disdain for Tera's family. While the Headmistress does not have a family to speak of, she knows it most likely affected her upbringing. Maybe Beacon's psychiatrist could help figure out how much she was affected by it.
The young leader swiped the pad from Glynda, which was opened on the Mistralian's file. Sure enough, the fake death certificate was there, along with her adoption papers confirming that she was 'related' to the Briggs family. In other tabs, there were her transcripts, showing she was Valedictorian of her class with notes of the other three not being far behind.
"But it appears that… well, I'm not entirely sure now. What are they trying to do by claiming that she is dead and killed that way? I haven't met the Briggs family in person, but my mother says they are very pleasant people," The leader said as he scratched his chin.
"Perhaps she was special like our little one is and they don't want anyone to know she's out and about or alive," The eldest member replied as the leader passed him the tablet.
"That is a possibility maybe I'll ask her later on when I get the chance."
Ozpin spoke, breaking their chain of thought, "That may not be the wisest decision. She will find it… disturbing if you confront her with knowledge not widely known. While the death certificate was swept under the rug from the press, the fact remained that the Rowe family had a daughter. Most media outlets chalked it up as a second son or an adopted child, the possibility of them having a daughter did not exist."
"That is a fair point Professor, from what I can gather it's just how our little one doesn't technically exist. My question now is does she know of this? Hopefully, she doesn't. I feel that could get extremely messy and emotional real quickly."
"If indeed Miss Rowe is aware of it, she has more than likely shared it with those close to her, which is why I expect the four of them to form a team," the Headmaster said with confidence, and he could put his money where his mouth is.
No one spoke after that, letting the information be absorbed in various manners.
Start song: Jungle- X Ambassadors, Jamie N Commons
With a Howl, Beowulf is launched into the air. He can feel the fear pouring off some of the other students, neither he nor Wulf cares. This is a hunt, kill or be killed, when you get thrown into the ring with a beast sometimes it pays to be the bigger monster. As he flies through the air he decides that it is best that the Grimm know that there is a real threat in this forest now. Tearing into the forest floor with a loud crash as he lands, throwing mud into the air, he rolls to all four, takes a deep breath, and raises his head to the sky, roaring out a challenge to anything that wants to kill. Pausing, for a moment he hears nothing. Then, there is a collection of howls in response, 'A pack of Beowolves. Good, something to sink our fangs into…' The statement curtails with a snarl which Beo knows as excitement, 'Judging by the sound, they are only a mile away. What do you think? Should we help the students or hunt?'
There is a low growl acknowledging the question almost as to say, 'what do you think?' Beowulf lets out a wolfish laugh, reaching for Nightfall he pulls it from his back and with the cobalt bleeding into his eyes, silently takes off into a sprint towards the pack of Grimm. Passing by fog concealed corpses scattered throughout the trees, he takes note of where they are and continues on his way. Stopping when he hears and feels the multitude of paws slamming into the ground, he climbs the nearest tree and waits for the pack of creatures to draw closer. In but a handful of minutes the canid Grimm are prowling below him unaware of how close their enemy is to them. A smile graces his face noticing that they were just far enough away from each other that he could use his claymore with ease. Holding said claymore out at an angle he reflects the early morning sun off of its edge blinding one of the Beowolves below, with a startled yelp the canine Grimm shakes its head. Dropping from the tree branch he was perched upon, Beowulf plunges the blade mercilessly into its head, killing it instantaneously. Rolling off of the now-dead Grimm he pulls the blade free, the other Grimm backing away from the dead body.
He can feel his blood boiling at the thought of an all-out fight with this pack of creatures, and he reveled in it. 'So, you want first blood?' There is laughter in his head as he looks around at the Grimm snarling at him, 'First blood? You already killed the first one, I'll get the last 3. These two pups are your kills.' There is a grin that spreads across his face as the two Grimm in front of him charge. Meeting the one on the right with his claymore, he slashes into its chest ripping out its lungs and spraying the ground with blood, as the creature gurgles out his last breath, he turns towards the other Beowulf. It is clear that the Grimm knew he was a threat, it took two steps back, not that it matters. With two loud thunderclaps, the Beowolf's skull and chest are blown open by two 500 S&R Magnum rounds. Holding the high caliber guns up high before twirling and holstering them, Beo lets out a snarl, challenging the others in a manner that is older and more instinctual than anything that humans ever use. All the remaining Grimm step up to the challenge and lunge. There is a collision of fur and claw, with a monstrous howl all 3 grim are thrown away.
"You three runts really think you can kill me?" The biggest of the three Grimm look at Wulf with a befuddled face, not understanding how an alpha Beowolf appears where there was once prey. The other two Grimm move closer not trusting their eyes nor noses, "Nevermind, you are just easy prey." Wulf grabs the closest wolf by the head and pulls it to the ground. With the first of the three on the ground, he crushes its neck under his paw and moves to the other close wolf. Said wolf tries to claw and bite at Wulf landing a couple of deep cuts before Wulf slams his head into it sending it stumbling back, stunned from the blow, its guard is down, allowing Wulf to knock it to the ground with a lowered shoulder and jump onto its chest and tears out its throat with his serrated teeth sending chunks of flesh airborne. As the black blood sprays from the open wound all over Wulf he turns to the last Grimm. Only to see it turn tail and run, Pulling out both Calm and Rage he locks them together at grips as the slides unfold to form the bow mode of his weapon he calls Tranquillity. Reaching for the quiver strapped to his back, he pulls a black-bodied Steel Broad-headed arrow out and notches it on the string, taking a breath the nine-foot wolf draws back the bow, 250+ pounds of draw strength behind the arrow he lets it fly. The arrow flies fast, straight, and true, striking the fleeing Grimm's skull and killing it almost instantly from 80+ yards away.
End song
'Nice shot.' Wulf snorts in reply to Beo's compliment, shaking the dissolving black blood free of fur he walks towards the downed runner, 'Now what do we want to do?' Asks Beo from his mental backset, Wulf shrugsas he pulls the broadhead arrow from the lifeless corpse. He answers out loud knowing no one is around, "I do not really know, we pasted those bodies. Should we scavenge their flares? Hell while we are at it we could signal where they are." There is a long pause, Beo considering what to do, as the now lifeless Grimm disintegrates leaving nothing behind, Beo makes his decision, 'Go ahead and give me back control. I will take care of the bodies, we do not need any tracker types making what will be a long day even more stressful.' Wulf nods his head agreeing as they change back to the 5'4'' faunus and Beo takes control.
Ray flew through the air with a smile that rivaled the sun. He's been waiting for nine years for this moment and now it was finally upon him. He was going to make the most of it. The best part of taking Grace's launchpad was that it set Ray on the right path to land. Once he was close to the ground, Ray teleported and halted his momentum. The one great thing about his semblance, he can either preserve or halt his momentum. So, he could fall off a cliff, teleport just before he hit the ground, and be just fine.
By the time he landed, he noticed a flare go off. So soon too. Ray's thoughts would go to a dark place if he continued. That line of thought of what if it was… was dangerous, and most likely negative. The fog was slowly starting to clear, but the light of day was slowly encroaching the forest.
Now that he was in the forest, he had to search for Grace. She had to be close by. Ray was going to make a beeline for where she should be until he heard a blood-curdling scream. He wanted to run away, but he would never forgive himself if he did.
So, against his better judgment, he ran towards the scream and burst through the bushes. Ray's eyes widened and his mouth hung open. The scene in front of him was gruesome. A Beowolf was devouring a student's leg. He was struggling, but blood covered their chest and hands. Their weapon remained out of reach.
Another scream escaped their lips which spurred Ray into action. Both pistols of Fury's Ambush sprung from his wrists and he primed a round into each chamber. Once the click was heard, the Beowolf stopped and turned, the blood dripping from its maw. Ray's eyes narrowed and he pulled the trigger. The rounds collided with the Beowulf, one through the head and one in the heart. At least, it was in the spot where it would have a heart. The pellets added in more potential damage.
Reloading the chambers, he kept an eye out for more. When there was one Beowolf, the pack wasn't far behind. Pulling one of the pistols back, he got down on one knee, a position to easily attack from. When Ray checked their pulse, they were already gone. The shock and blood loss was enough to kill them. Their leg was mangled beyond saving, there was a series of tears in their outfit, meaning the Beowolf got a few swipes in, drawing blood. Some of them looked deep, and the blood was still draining, making a puddle around them. Even with an aura, this assault was brutal. The worst part was, their eyes were still open, mouth agape, construed in horror.
Something dropped on his pants and it took a second to realize his eyes were watering. Rubbing them away, he took a deep calming breath. Losing his cool could mean his demise too. Closing their eyes and mouth, Ray gave them a sign of peace—closing their eyes and mouth— before prepping a flare. Meanwhile, he scavenged the extra flares and put them in his flare pouch. He put his hand on the ground before remembering it was covered in blood. He wiped it on a patch of fresh grass, but that didn't stop him from putting his hand on his other forearm. He was too slow.
Pushing away those emotions, for now, Ray put away the second half of his weapon to put out his flare gun and loaded the flare, the one he left out. Not looking up after loading the gun, he fired the orange flare straight up. The flare dusted off into the sky and faded after a few seconds.
More growls surrounded him and Ray sprung up and instantly put Fury's Ambush together, round primed. Out of the trees and bushes came a half dozen Beowolves. So here's the rest of the pack.
Seeing that fighting them all at this range was a bad idea; so, Ray fired on the first one he could see and racked the lever. The Beowolves chose at this moment to leap at him, claws extended, ready to tear his aura—then his flesh—apart. With quick thinking, Ray teleported back to the way he came from and pulsed his aura. Hopefully, someone was close, or maybe even Grace.
The Beowolves leaped towards Ray once more, but he was already moving. He could hear the snarls, growls, and he could feel the bloodlust radiating from them. Ray had to keep moving. He didn't want to end up on that list.
As Ray turned to fire on the closest Beowolf, it was speared with an arrow. "It took you long enough!" Grace.
Ray jumped into a tree and then used his momentum to fling himself higher. Once he was high enough, around twelve feet off the ground, he rested on a thick branch, breathing heavily, but his eyes spoke more than ever.
"Ray, look at me," Grace said from the opposite tree he was in, the Beowolves below were just another sound. "Are you injured?" A headshake. "Then why do you have blood on you?" Ray looked away from the charcoal eyes of his friend. "Someone's dead, aren't they?" Her voice shook but did not break.
Ray did not respond, but instead turned to the Beowolves below, aimed down the sights of Ambush, and fired three more rounds, killing four Beowolves because of the pellet spread. Grace readied Deliverance and fired a few bursts of her rifle feature, tearing the Beowolves' skin and killing the rest. Once those were dispatched, he reloaded Ambush with impressive efficiency, and knocked on the bark of the tree, '{Yeah, and I could not save them. They were gone before I got there.}'
"I see," she whispered. "You know, I got worried that one of those flares was you," she said in a normal voice.
Putting Ambush on his back holster, he signed, 'I had the same worry. At least we're partners. I hope Nick and Tera are alright.'
Grace scoffed, moving a few loose strands of hair out of her face, "Knowing them, they are probably arguing about who saw who first."
'Or Nick pranked Tera… again,' Ray suggested which elicited a giggle from Grace. The lighter mood made Ray feel at ease.
"We should move out before more Grimm show up, sound like a plan, partner?" the slate-haired girl asked before slipping out of the tree and landing with her namesake.
Tapping the tree, '{Sure thing, partner.}' He put both hands on his current branch, and threw himself off the tree, swinging in the process to land with a roll. He dusted himself off and threw his right arm over Grace's shoulder. Still, he cast a glance back to where he ran from, and a pang of guilt spawned in his heart.
Not noticing Ray's inner turmoil, she rolled her eyes as she muttered, "Esibire."
Nick was slipping through the trees like butter, easily leaping, jumping, dodging over every obstacle. He really underestimated the sheer size of the forest, so time was of the essence. The Cobra Faunus flicked his tongue out, attempting to get any scent on Tera.
Nick closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He was looking for Tera's aura, and the funny part, it was all around him. Since her Semblance is plant-based, it makes tracking her difficult.
Well, it would have been once Nick felt a vine wrap around his leg, "I was waiting for you Scales." The voice was higher up and distinctly teasing only in the tone she saves for him.
Nick chuckled, "Well, I had to make sssure I found you first." The Cobra looked up to see Tera perched in a tree, her weapon case rested across her lap with hints of a smirk. "So, I guess we're partners now?"
"I suppose it does, now we just got to hope against hope that Ray and Grace met up. Also," she said having one of the trees gingerly put her down on the ground so she didn't have to shout or raise her voice, "what move did you guys pull off?"
Nick smirked, "That is quite simple. We didn't know when the 'partner eye contact' rule applied, so we assumed it would be instantly, even if Professor Ozpin said differently. As for the movement, we just guessssed and hoped it worked. We came up with it this morning, but we needed a chance for all of us partnering up. Knowing all three of our last names are close by, Grace was stuck with the short end of the stick."
They watched as two different pairs of students ran by them, heading directly east. They didn't stop to talk and it looked like they were on a mission. A wave of acknowledgment was passed between them, but nothing else.
Tera walked by him and gestured for them to move. She pushed a few loose strands of hair out of her face. Might as well keep moving, so she took off in a light jog. She heard Nick's boots crunching behind her, "So what happened to Ray?"
Nick slid right by her, "He probably went back to Beacon and used a different launchpad, most likely Grace's. We did spend our break learning about trailing and tracking techniques. So if everything went well, then those two are partners."
"What about the flares?" Tera asked, but that wasn't the question she was really asking. What if one of those flares is Ray or Grace?
"Then I would be upset, but we would move on," Nick said firmly, almost unremorseful. He knew it was not the answer she was looking for, but it was the one he had. Seeing Tera's scowl and hurt face he clarified, "We can't think like that out here. Jussst trussst that we will make it out, okay?"
Tera nodded, the scowl gone, but some of the hurt lingered. Neither one spoke as they were focused on watching each other's backs. However, that stopped once they came across a giant crater that extended far into the trees, but left a bunch of them tipped over. "What the…?"
"...Hell happened here and why wasn't I here to see it happen?!" Nick exclaimed, his eyes lighting up at the carnage.
"Why didn't we know about it? Surely this would have made the news!" Tera exclaimed.
Nick shrugged, focusing on the task at hand, "Now, we can either go around it or through it. One takes longer, but it's safer, and the other is shorter but dangerous."
Tera wanted to see something, "Through it, I wanna know how far this goes. Plus, it will give a clear path." She pointed straight ahead, "I think there is something past the trees, but can you see anything?"
Nick narrowed his eyes and focused on where the Mistrali pointed, "Maybe a small clearing, but it's really far away."
Tera leaped into the crater, sliding down the side, "Come on Nick, we have places to be!"
"I swear, you're the one who's going to get me in trouble one of these days," he mumbled before following after his partner.
Back at the cliffside, the fox girl spoke up, "Ooh brother, looks like these two students found the hole you left behind." The tallest male of the group walked over to the fox and looked over her shoulder at the datapad.
"So they have, yet again, it's not hard to miss." The boy chuckled, "Just imagine the look on their faces if they figured out I did that."
"Gee, dearest brother, I couldn't imagine… but that is a hilarious image."
Nick followed Tera down the crater before stopping where the center of it was. "What do you think caused this?"
"I don't know, I'm not a geologist or an architect," Nick commented.
"An architect wouldn't even fit for this!" Tera quipped. She looked over her shoulder and back again. "Still, this crater is massive, and almost a football field wide on both dimensions. I would guess about seven stories at its lowest point."
"All that from a glance?" Nick asked, looking ahead at the top of the crater. Tera gave off a noncommittal hum and grunted as her foot slipped out from under her. Nick easily stabilized her, "Easssy there, Ssslick."
"Thanks, but yeah, it is about that big, even in Mistral my—the people I lived with— had an inkling to watch such things. Made me remember the dimensions based on a look." Tera puffed her cheeks in embarrassment. Nick snickered, realizing the true extent of the information given, before rushing up the side with the swiftness of a cobra, no racism intended, up the side before flicking his tongue out and received sour tastes in return. The smell of blood reached his senses and he grimaced.
He shook his head before turning around, extending a hand down to the Mistrali girl. "We need to move."
Hearing this brought Tera's senses on alert, her free hand hovering close to Nature's Harmony. The two of them heard a tree branch snap and instantly both of their weapons were out.
Out of the treeline came two Ursa, and they were quite upset that people encroached on their territories. They roared and charged side by side at Nick and Tera. Their maws were covered in blood and chunks of flesh stuck between their teeth. Tera noticed this and paled, but Nick was much more focused.
With quick thinking, Nick pushed the Mistralian out of the way and dove in the opposite direction. Tera reacted accordingly and righted herself and took a deep breath, aiming for the right Ursa, attempting to get the image out of her head. With a quick melody, she sent a pulse of Dust toward it and it impacted the Ursa's chest.
Nick brandished his claws before using his Semblance to make his attack faster. His overbearing arc turned into a downward slash against the left Ursa's fur-like appearance. It roared and stood on its hind legs, glaring down with its soulless blood-red eyes. It raised its front paws up, a forewarning of what was to come, but Nick was quicker than that. Switching his focus, he shifted his Semblance to the Ursa, and now it was attacking super slow. However, if it touched him… the floor did not seem as soft as it looked. So, Nick took the opportunity to slash all over the Ursa's body. The blood leaked from the Grimm and all of the wounds from it were taking their toll. "You good over there, Tera?"
The sound of the saxophone blaring a new beat into the Ursa's chest and making it soar into a tree answered his question. Tera took a deep breath, "Remind me to add a retractable blade to this, it would be helpful to stab a Grimm when they are in range." She looked down to see a tear in her pants, "Well, that's unfortunate." She checked to make sure that there were no other injures before focusing on her target again.
"Noted," Nick said the Ursa that was still standing swiped at Nick. He moved, but not fast enough to avoid the claw. One of the nails scraped against his arm and spiked his aura. Nick backed up whilst putting together his SMG. The transformation was near flawless as Nick reached into his short pocket and inserted a magazine before opening fire in short bursts.
Tera eyed the Ursa that she stunned, making sure that it was not coming in for a surprise attack, before reaching towards the nearest tree and using her Semblance. The tree she chose pulsed before it started to uproot itself. With a mental command, she sent it towards the knocked out Grimm to finish it off. She forced more aura into it to give it a little bit of extra time.
Bringing Harmony's mouthpiece to her lips, she played a small section of 4 on the Floor by Gerald Albright to send out a sharpened Dust attack. The attack hit its intended target which brought along an opening that Nick quickly exploited. He deconstructed his SMG and brought out the claws and launched himself at the Grimm, aiming for the throat.
The claw easily slid across the Grimm's throat and the two children stood next to each other. A resounding crunch startled both of them as the tree that Tera had awakened snapped the Ursa's neck before it calmly rerooted itself back into its original place. "Didn't know it could do that."
Tera seemed just as surprised, "Neither did I." She looked to Nick, "Come on, we should keep moving."
Nick ran on ahead of Tera, his eyes scanning the surrounding area, making sure there were no other Grimm in the immediate area. Once Tera caught up, the two of them burst through the open field where a stone structure laid. By that stone structure, there were six people. Four of them recognizable, two that were not, but that sent a spike of fear into both Nick and Tera's stomachs.
The two of them locked eyes as they both had the same dreadful thought. "You don't think...?"
"We cannot afford to think like that, Tera. Come on, let's meet up with everyone," Nick said resolutely. Once he was in a decent range, he shouted, "Yang!"
The blonde's eyes locked with his and a relief-filled smile coated her face. Blake was next to Yang, and she regarded the situation with suspicion. "You guys are okay!" she wrapped her arms around Nick. "Thank Dust!" she exclaimed before wrapping Tera in a hug as well.
Nick scoffed, "Of course we are."
"Where's Ray? Grace?" the brawler asked and that's the question he was dreading. That meant she hasn't seen them either. Yang interpreted the looks on their face as bad news. Her grip returned and tightened on Nick's shoulders, "Where is he?"
"We… haven't seen him," Tera answered. Her eyes drifted to Weiss who was lingering behind Yang. Then, she spotted Ruby, relieved that she was here. However, the crimsonette's eyes were asking the same question.
"That couldn't mean…" Yang looked angry, her eyes changed as a result. "No, he's not…" Yang couldn't bring herself to say the words, because that would mean he really is… dead. No way, not Ray. Not here, not when it was his dream. Oh Dust, what about Ruby?! Ruby looks up to Ray a lot, more than she thinks she does.
"You think like that, Yang, and imma hit you. Ray is perfectly capable of taking care of himself, and Grace is the same. They'll watch each others' backs."
Without warning, Blake sharply turned to the treeline to her right. A stick snapped and that meant someone or something was coming. Her hand reached for her weapon. Nick took notice and flicked his tongue out, and he felt relief. "No way."
From the treeline, both Grace and Ray appeared, both looking worse for wear. Nick could smell and see the blood that stained his vest, but thankfully, the color blended in. A subtle color change on his hands could be seen. Grace just looked exhausted, some minor scrapes on her outfit, her hair still somewhat in her braid. Her eyes were observant though, checking the surroundings; which compared to Ray's, he had a thinking face on.
Tera broke away and launched at Grace, "Thank Dust, you're alright! When no one saw you we…"
Grace put a finger over Tera's lips, silencing her, "We're fine, just a little shaken. We saw something pretty… far out."
"What could possibly be considered 'far out' in Remnant?" Tera mumbled as Grace's finger was still over her lips. The temptation to just open her mouth and-
Tera berated herself for that line of thought. Ray finally snapped to attention, 'You would not believe us if we told you.'
...
Valen (Italian) Translations
Esibire = Showoff